Abstract: Avatars are built upon and play within black boxes—various technologies and tools used to create videogames and digital worlds. In particular, game engines (the software systems upon which games are developed) and platforms (compu- tational frameworks) have significant design impacts on the games that they are used to create. Exploring the entanglement of designer, engine, and computational platform is a useful framework for thinking about design and the broader social/ cultural implications of games and avatars.
More information about the book, Avatar, Assembled: The Social and Technical Anatomy of Digital Bodies, can be found on Peter Lang Publishing’s website or you can find the book over on Amazon.